The spiritual discipline of fasting has many rich benefits. One that has surprised me: new lenses on all bodily weakness—not just fasting days, but tired days or sick days or sore days.
On a day of intentional weakness, like fasting, I know that I’ve chosen to offer my bodily vulnerability to God. It’s not easy, exactly, but there’s no mental leap involved. I have chosen hunger for a purpose.
In the rest of my life, bodily weakness is unchosen. I take my baseline of good health for granted, and on the occasional day that I’ve slept poorly or a headache arrives, I grumble and rail against my own weakness—
except that there’s an unexpected muscle showing after the practice of fasting, a voice speaking in my heart that I’m not used to hearing, whispering, I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling and Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
I’m finding that presenting my body as a sacrifice is what leads to the renewing of my mind.
